


Sacrifice

by SherlockianWhovian



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dark, Dark Captain Hook | Killian Jones, Dark Emma Swan, Dark One Captain Hook | Killian Jones, Dark One Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Dark One Emma Swan, Dark One Emma Swan, F/M, Manipulation, Mind Control, One Shot, Season/Series 05
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-12-31 09:40:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12129702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SherlockianWhovian/pseuds/SherlockianWhovian
Summary: Emma steals Hook away after they return from Camelot, determined to control him and stop him from discovering the truth.





	Sacrifice

"Now, for what you all did to me, you're about to be punished." Emma declared, her cold eyes looking from person to person in Granny's Diner before she turned back to Hook, "Starting with you."

"Emma, why are you doing this?" Hook asked, fear and confusion in his eyes.

"Because I'm the Dark One." Emma replied simply, her face still expressionless as she stared at him.

"Emma, wait!" Regina called, but Emma and Hook were already gone from Granny's in a puff of grey smoke.

 

\---

 

"Where the hell are we and what happened in Camelot?" Hook demanded as soon as the smoke cleared and they were alone in a house.

"Isn't it obvious? This is my home." Emma said, "You'll become very familiar with it as you'll be living here too."

"Do I not have a choice in the matter?" Hook asked with a frown.

"No. It's my home and I keep my possessions in my home." Emma replied.

"I'm not a possession!" Hook hissed, "What happened to you in Camelot?"

"You don't need to worry about what happened in Camelot." Emma said, taking a step closer to him, "You don't have to worry about anything again. I will provide you with everything that you need."

"I'm not interested in being your toy." Hook replied, "I don't know who you are, but you're not Emma."

Emma laughed, "Oh but I am. Think of me as an improved version of myself." she said, "And soon you'll be an improved version of yourself too."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hook demanded, taking a step back from her.

"It means that we'll soon be an unstoppable force. No one will be able to hold us back." she replied with a smile, "Trust me, I'm doing what's best for both of us."

Emma waved her hand and Hook disappeared, transported to a pitch-black cell beneath the house. It was a perfectly sealed box, the only way in and out being magic.

"Emma!" Hook growled into the darkness but she didn't come to him. He began mapping out the room slowly, working out where the edges were and what furniture there was.

 

\---

 

It had been days since he'd been put in this eternal darkness, he was convinced of it. His body felt weak and clumsy, every movement seeming to make his hunger pains worse. He couldn't see a thing, which made it extremely hard to determine both the passage of time and whether he was asleep or not. The temperature was cooler than he'd like, keeping him in a constant state of slight shivering.

"Did you miss me?" came Emma's voice from a few feet away and a sudden burst of light practically blinded Hook as she lit a candle.

"Emma..." he groaned, not bothering to waste energy by getting up. His throat burned as he swallowed, his thirst more painful than his hunger. He stayed in his slumped position in one of the corners, trying to will his blurred vision to clear enough so he could see her in the flickering candlelight.

"I come baring gifts." Emma said, moving closer and sitting down on the floor beside him with a tray on her lap, "Water and lovely warm stew. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"Emma..." Hook said weakly, although he wasn't sure exactly what he was asking her for exactly.

"We're going to start with sips of water and then we're going to play a little game while you have your stew." Emma told him, placing a straw against his lips, "Suck on this slowly, don't drink too much water at once or you'll make yourself ill."

Hook did as he was told, letting out a moan of relief as he slowly drank down the water and soothed his burning thirst.

"That's better, isn't it? Small sips." Emma murmured, stroking his cheek gently.

"Why are you keeping me locked up?" he asked, taking a break from drinking down the water.

"It's for the best." Emma replied, "You'll understand soon."

"What did I do to you? Why am I being punished?" he asked, trying to understand.

"You don't need to worry about that. Now, let's play a game." she said, "For every correct action, you get some stew."

"You're trying to condition me." Hook realised with a glare, "Why? I'd already do anything to make you happy, you know that."

"Not anything, but we'll fix that." Emma replied, "Now, are you going to play my game or go hungry?"

"I won't play your game, Dark One." Hook hissed, "You've taken the woman I love and made her into someone truly evil."

Emma sighed, "Very well." she said and disappeared, taking the food, water and candle with her, plunging Hook into cold darkness once again.

 

\---

 

"Must you be so stubborn?" Emma sighed, running her fingers through his dark hair as she sat beside him, "You don't need to be hungry. You are choosing to do this to yourself."

"It's the only thing I can control in here." Hook murmured, sipping water weakly, "I'd refuse water too, if I could."

"Is it really so hard to follow some simple commands?" Emma asked with a sigh.

"I'm not a dog or a possession. I won't give you the satisfaction of controlling me, Dark One." Hook growled out.

"All I'm asking you to do is to raise your right arm." Emma said, "That's hardly controlling, is it? Just raise your right arm and you can have some stew."

"No, that's where it starts." Hook argued, "First it's simple things but then it's kneeling and crawling and begging. I was a slave when I was a child, I know what you're doing."

"Aren't you tired of being so cold? You can't hide your shivers from me, even in this half light." Emma said, touching his hand, "All you need to do is raise your right arm and you'll be warm and chasing hunger away with delicious stew."

"No. Never." Hook said, determination in his tone.

"Very well." Emma said sadly, disappointment on her face, "I'm so sad that you're doing this to yourself."

Before he could reply, she was gone, taking the refreshments and light with her.

 

\---

 

Hook had never been afraid of the dark before, periods spent below deck and in a ship's brig had saved him from that fear, but now he couldn't seem to stop the panic that welled up inside of him. He didn't know how much time had passed or whether he ever slept, the only light and warmth he experienced was during Emma's visits. He'd given up refusing food some time ago, when he realised that the Dark One wouldn't relent no matter how weak or ill he made himself. It was better to play her games and follow commands like a dog if it meant that he was free from hunger and thirst.

"Emma, please, let me out of here. I'll be good, I won't get in your way." he begged almost as soon as the candlelight appeared in the endless darkness, "I don't think I can take this for much longer."

"Kneel." Emma said softly, not responding to his pleas straight away. It was the first time that he'd given in and begged her without being prompted first.

Hook's body seemed to move without him even thinking about it, moving into a kneeling position with his hand and hook resting on his thighs. He shuddered contently as warmth spread through his body, her magic rewarding him for following instructions.

"It's time that you learnt the truth about Camelot." Emma decided, looking down at the dreamcatcher that appeared in her hand, "You will be confused and angry, probably afraid too."

"Is it really so bad?" Hook asked, "What did you do, Emma?"

"Just watch." Emma sighed, activating the dreamcatcher and holding it in front of him.

 

\---

 

"I'm a Dark One." Hook murmured, voicing a statement rather than a question, "I killed Merlin and cast the curse that brought us back to Storybrooke."

"Yes." Emma replied, watching him to try to read him.

"Why can't I feel the darkness now? Why isn't it in my head?" Hook asked.

"I created this cell and designed it to remove your magic and keep the darkness at bay." Emma explained.

"Why? To control me?" Hook asked, a hiss in his tone.

"No. To reason with you." Emma replied sharply, "You were out of control, driven to the edge of madness by the darkness in your head. If I'd let you wander around Storybrooke with it all bottled up inside you, you could've leveled the entire town with an accidental wave of your hand."

"And so instead you chose to lock me away in this cell and make me do tricks for food?" Hook growled, "Where is the logic in that, Emma?"

"You're safe here and the town is safe from you. That's all that matters." Emma said, "You were never in any danger. We're immortal so I knew keeping you hungry wouldn't have any detrimental impact."

"Emma, are you even listening to yourself?" Hook shouted, getting to his feet, "The impact it's had is on my mind! You've made me into a slave who drops to his knees without a thought when you give the command!"

"It was necessary!" Emma argued, "I need your help and your magic to get the darkness out of us both. I don't want to control you with Excalibur but I can't work with you if you descend into madness in a quest for vengeance!"

"So let me get this straight, you didn't want to control me with Excalibur so you decided to condition me instead? I don't think it's me who's gone mad, Emma!" Hook hissed.

"I trusted you in Camelot and you played me. I can't risk you doing the same thing now. This is too important." Emma sighed, "I'm trying to save us both."

"And what if I don't want to be saved? If I want to continue on as the Dark One for the rest of eternity?" Hook demanded.

"The real you, the man that I love, doesn't want that. I will save you Killian, whether you want me to or not." Emma said, "You have two choices. You stay in here for the foreseeable future, with no light and no way out, or you come with me and help me."

"I choose freedom from this hell." Hook replied without hesitating.

"I hoped you would." Emma replied with a slight smile, reaching forward and attaching an enchanted leather cuff to his wrist, "This will help to control your magic. Once you leave this cell, the darkness will consume you again."

"How do you know you'll be able to trust me?" Hook asked.

"The cuff acts as a sort of shock collar." Emma admitted, "You'll have no choice but to obey me and you won't be able to harm me. You'll be able to hear my voice clearly over anything the darkness whispers to you."

"I don't think the darkness will like that." Hook admitted, touching the cuff with his hook. He pulled the hook away when a sudden electrical current pulsed down it and into his arm.

"Come on. We're going to Granny's. Regina and the others have been asking about you." she said, waving her hand and making them both leave the dark room in a puff of smoke.

 

\---

 

The first thing Hook noticed when they arrived on the pavement outside of Granny's Diner was that he was dressed differently to how he had been before. Gone was the red and black leather from Camelot and in its place was pure black leather with an almost scaled effect. He looked over at Emma and smirked when he found that they seemed to match. It was only as his eyes wandered her sleek form that he realised that he could hear the darkness inside his head. It was welcoming him back with open arms, calling to him and tempting him.

"Killian." Emma said, bringing his attention back to her, "Ready to go inside?"

"Aye." Hook replied with a nod. The darkness seemed to quiet in his mind, her voice really did seem to keep it at bay when he focused on her.

"Good." Emma said, taking his hand and leading the way into the diner where their family and friends were gathered.

"What happened to you, Captain Guyliner?" Regina mocked with a raised eyebrow when she saw the pirate, "Went on a shopping trip with the Dark One, did you?"

"Regina, don't." Mary Margaret sighed, looking to her daughter, "What's going on, Emma?"

"It's time you all remembered the truth." Emma said, waving a hand and making dreamcatchers appear in each of their hands. She activated them with a twitch of her fingers and watched as they regained their memories.

"Do I really look so different?" Hook murmured to her quietly.

"You look like me. The same but with a dangerous edge." Emma replied, glancing over his outfit, "It suits you, but I do prefer the less goth look."

"I like you in anything you're wearing, although I do prefer it when your clothes are cast aside in the heat of passion." Hook teased, licking his lips playfully as he leaned in.

"Later." Emma replied with a wink, turning her attention back on the others.

"Hook's a Dark One." Charming gasped out, now understanding the sudden wardrobe change.

"Aye." Hook said, taking a stride forward, "It really is an improvement, don't you think, Dave?"

"Killian." Emma said warningly, watching him as he moved closer to her parents.

"Can't I at least show them some party tricks?" Hook chuckled, appearing behind the bar in a puff of red smoke, "I've had so few opportunities to show off, afterall."

"Well then, are we to be struck down by the two of you?" Regina asked, looking between them.

"I'd love to strike you all down, I really would." Hook chuckled, pouring some rum into a glass, "You have no idea how I ache to use my new powers for chaos and destruction."

"We need your help to get the darkness out of us." Emma said, ignoring Hook's words as she spoke to the group.

"What do you need us to do?" Mary Margaret asked, stepping forward confidently.

"I've joined the dagger and Excalibur, but now we need to channel the darkness into someone and then sacrifice them." Emma admitted with a sigh.

"Nice plan, darling. I knew you shared my bloodlust." Hook laughed, appearing beside her, "Which one shall we kill?"

"Either you stay here and keep quiet or I am taking you back to your cell." Emma warned, turning to face him, "This is important, Killian. Now is not the time for your comments."

"Show them what you've done to me. Show them, I dare you." Hook hissed at her, "Show them how evil you've become."

"Killian." Emma pleaded, not wanting to control him in front of everyone.

"Show them how you don't need Excalibur. Show them!" Hook growled, forming a fireball in his hand as he raged.

"Kneel." Emma said simply, feeling sick to her stomach as he obediently dropped to his knees, unable to fight the command. She hadn't wanted to condition him, but she was determined to stop him from falling into madness like before.

"Behold, the truth of Emma Swan. The Saviour." Hook hissed, hating the feeling of warmth and contentment that spread through him whenever he followed her commands.

"What have you done to him?" Regina asked curiously, "You didn't use Excalibur and you can't have taken his heart..."

"You'll love the explanation, it's right up your street." Hook muttered.

"Back to your cell." Emma sighed, waving her hand and sending him away into the darkness and the cold again.

"Emma, what's going on? What was he talking about?" Charming asked.

"I've been keeping him locked up and training him to obey commands." Emma admitted, "I gave him back his memories this morning. I'd hoped that my training would be strong enough, but both he and the darkness are fighting it. He's not ready to help us yet."

"Emma, that's barbaric!" Mary Margaret exclaimed, "He's a person, not a dog you can train!"

"He's a Dark One. If I let him loose, he'd destroy everything." Emma argued.

"You're a Dark One and you haven't destroyed everything!" Mary Margaret continued, "Shouldn't he be free to choose his own path too?"

"Mom, the last time he had freedom, he killed Merlin." Emma protested, "I'm a hell of a lot more stable than Hook is! He's not strong enough to even resist the most faint whisper from the darkness!"

"Can we get the darkness out of you both without him?" Regina asked.

"Not while he's contained. He'd need to be free of all magic restraints so the darkness could be removed." Emma explained, "I'm trying to train him so I don't need to make him wear the enchanted cuff, but as you can see, he's fighting back."

"I see no option but you keeping him contained. He's clearly mad." Regina said.

"There's got to be another way." Mary Margaret sighed.

Emma's eyes widened a little, "I have an idea. It might not work, but it's the only thing I can think of." she admitted, "Do you trust me? Things will need to get worse around here for a while before I can destroy the darkness."

"Do what you must." Charming spoke up, "You're the Saviour, we trust you."

Emma nodded a little and transported herself away.

 

\---

 

"You're back then? Much quicker than I expected, I admit. I expected to be left in the dark for days as some sort of punishment." Hook said when he saw the light appear in the darkness, "How did they take the news that I'm a slave?"

"You're not a slave, not anymore." Emma said, kneeling down beside him and transporting them both onto the bed in the master bedroom of the house.

"Want to use me for pleasure now too, Mistress?" Hook hissed at her when he found himself on a bed.

"Stop it. You're not a slave." Emma replied, "My parents made me see how wrong I was. I'm so sorry for what I did to you, Killian."

"You can apologise as much as you like, it won't change the fact that I have no choice but to obey you." Hook said, turning away from her.

"I'm going to give you your magic back. Be careful not to make any sudden movements until you've got it under control." Emma said, reaching out and removing the leather cuff.

"Not worried I'll flatten the town then?" Hook smirked, flexing his arm as he felt his full powers flow through him for the first time since Camelot.

"Will you let me remove the commands from your mind?" Emma asked gently.

"How can you do that? You didn't insert them with magic." Hook asked curiously.

"I can remove the specific memories so you won't remember the commands but you won't forget what I did to you." Emma explained.

"Why not just remove my memories of the whole thing?" Hook questioned.

"I don't want to hide things from you. I was wrong, I'm sorry for hurting you. I want us to move forward together." Emma explained with a hopeful smile, "Our powers combined would be unstoppable. We could rule this place."

"You're playing me." Hook chuckled, "You've never had any interest in being in charge or ruling over people."

"Killian, I want to be with you." Emma said lovingly, "You are my happy ending. If you want to rule then that's what we'll do."

"Remove the commands." Hook decided with a nod, "I don't want to be controlled by you. If we're going to do this then we do it as equals."

"Alright." Emma agreed, conjuring a dreamcatcher and taking away the specific memories. She then burnt the dreamcatcher in a fireball, destroying the commands forever.

"Do you have Excalibur?" Hook asked.

"She's all yours." Emma replied, waving a hand and dropping Excalibur between them on the bed.

"And so now we welcome in a new age." Hook murmured, running a hand over the blade, "The age of the Dark Ones."

 

\---

 

"Emma. Emma. Emma." Hook purred against her skin, placing kisses along her neck and collarbone, "Don't deny me, my Dark Swan."

"We're going to be late for our own town meeting." Emma sighed, running her hands over his bare back, "That's hardly good form, is it?"

"Screw good form." Hook chuckled, "I have you in my arms and I don't intend to let you go."

"Killian, I have a deal to propose." Emma stated with a smile, moving her hand to trace the scar on his cheek.

"A deal? Well now, that's definitely of interest to me." Hook chuckled, "Propose your terms, Dark One."

"I propose that we go and do the town meeting now and in return, I promise not to leave this bed for 24 hours once we've concluded the town business." Emma said, her hand moving to rest on his shoulder.

"Just 24 hours? That's hardly worth me leaving this bed and dealing with the peasants of this town, is it?" Hook pouted a little, "I'll agree to your deal, but only because I want to get the town business out of the way so we won't be disturbed."

"Good, I knew you could be reasonable." Emma teased, leaning up and meeting his lips chastely, "Come on, let's get moving."

With a slight grumble, Hook rolled off her and got out of bed, clicking his fingers and instantly appearing fully dressed again.

"Magic is so much quicker. How on earth did I get dressed quickly without it?" he chuckled, checking himself over in the mirror as Emma got up and dressed too.

"And one-handed too." Emma chuckled, walking over and wrapping her arms around his waist from behind, "You're one talented, handsome pirate."

"That I am, love." Hook replied, turning to face her, "Come along, my siren. Let's get this over with so I can claim you again."

Emma laughed and took a step back from him, waving her hand and making them both appear in the town hall. The crowd instantly fell silent at their appearance.

"People of Storybrooke." Hook spoke with confidence, moving with his usual swagger, "I am here to give you an ultimatum. Bow down to us or die."

"That's hardly a choice, pirate." Regina hissed, stepping forward, "I won't bow down to you. You're not a royal, you're nothing but a gutter rat transformed into a monster."

Hook threw Regina across the room with a powerful flash of magic, slamming her into the wall.

"Anyone else have objections?" Hook smirked, looking from her unconscious body on the floor to the rest of the crowd.

"Mom." Henry gasped, pulling free of Mary Margaret's grip and running to Regina's side.

Emma glanced at Hook, prepared to intervene if he took any kind of action against Henry.

"What do you have planned for us, Hook?" Charming asked, stepping forward less aggressively than Regina had.

"For you specifically, Dave? Nothing." Hook replied, "You and your band of heroes will be free to roam my new kingdom because that's what Emma wishes. Stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours."

"What of the rest of the town?" Mary Margaret asked, holding baby Neal close, "We may not be in the Enchanted Forest, but we are the King and Queen, we have a duty to our people."

"This isn't your jurisdiction, Majesties." Hook smirked, "Think of us as King and Queen of Storybrooke if you like, but there won't be a need for formalities. You are all our subjects now."

"So what terrible plan are you going to enact, Dark One?" Leroy sneered, "Go on, tell us."

"You're all so distrusting!" Hook laughed, "Nothing will change for you lot on a day-to-day basis. You can continue living your boring little lives, but if Emma or I tell you to do something, you will do it without hesitation."

 

\---

 

While Emma spent sleepless nights crafting dreamcatchers and considering her plans to destroy the darkness, Hook spent his time prowling around Storybrooke. He punished anyone who he considered to be in breach of his recently imposed curfew or any of his rules, leaving them bloody and broken in the street. He'd imposed many strange rules recently, the darkness pushing him to find victims to quell his bloodlust. It was on one of these nights that Emma felt a strange feeling in her bones, a feeling that urged her to protect Henry. Without a second's thought, she appeared a little down the street from her parents' loft.

Henry was stood out in the middle of the road with his arms crossed, brazenly ignoring Hook's precious curfew.

"Henry, go back inside." Emma called, rushing over when she saw Hook's predatory grin.

"No." Henry said, his eyes fixed on Hook, "I'm done with all of this."

"With your life?" Hook smirked, "How sweet, allow me to end it for you."

"Henry!" Regina cried, rushing out of the loft but coming to a halt when she saw the standoff between her son and the Dark One.

"I'm not afraid of you like everyone else is, Hook." Henry declared proudly, "I can see that your twisted attempt at ruling this place is just your way of making your voice heard. Well guess what? No one cares about you, pirate."

"Know your place, lad." Hook warned, "Remember who you're talking to."

"I know exactly who I'm talking to. A one-handed, weak-minded coward." Henry taunted.

"Don't you dare call me a coward, child!" Hook hissed, forming a fireball and raising his hand in preparation to throw it at Henry.

"Killian, no!" Emma shrieked, throwing herself in front of her son, "Killian, you can't, he's my son."

"Get out of the way." Hook growled, the fireball doubling in strength and size, "You heard what he said to me."

"No." Emma said, holding Henry behind her, "He's my son. If you plan to hurt him then you'll have to go through me."

"Or I could just hurt him another way." Hook smirked, appearing beside Regina. He got rid of the fireball and grabbed her around the neck, squeezing tightly.

"What sort of man do you want to be?" Regina gasped out, her fingers clawing at his arm.

Instead of killing her, as everyone expected him to, he released his grip and let her go. Her words had plunged him back into the past, when he'd killed his own father and left his half-brother an orphan.

"Look what we've done. Look at all the pain that we've caused to those around us." Emma said sadly as she kept Henry behind her, "Killian, we have to stop. We have to end this."

"The darkness feels so good." Hook said, turning fully to face Emma, "How could I ever give this up?"

"We have to before there's nothing left of us or the people we love. You were just about to kill Henry!" Emma pleaded with him, "You know it's true, the darkness must be destroyed. Just look at yourself, Killian Jones, what would Liam think of you now?"

There were a few moments of deadly silence as Hook considered her words. The darkness was telling him not to listen, that her words were lies but despite all that had happened between them, he still loved Emma

"The lake. It's the only way it can be done." Hook finally said, "It must be sent to the underworld to prevent it from attaching to another."

"Then we'll send it to hell." Emma agreed, "Together."

 

\---

 

"I know what sort of man I want to be." Hook declared, a strangely peaceful expression on his face as he spoke to the small group that had gathered beside the lake, "I want to be strong enough to resist temptations and to apologise for mistakes. I am sorry for the hurt and pain that my actions have caused, I hope that in time you will be able to forgive me."

Emma walked to his side and took his hand reassuringly, looking at each person who stood with them on the bank of the lake - Mary Margaret, David, Regina, Henry and Gold.

"We've brought you here to witness our vows to one another and our sacrifice." Emma said, "The darkness has to be stopped and we have to drag it down into the underworld with us so it can't cause anymore damage to those we love."

"Emma, no, you can't!" Mary Margaret pleaded, stepping forward, "We can't lose you, we only just got you back!"

"There's no other way, Mom." Emma said sadly, "Killian and I have to do this together. It's time for us to be heroes."

"Emma Swan." Killian said, clearing his throat a little as he turned to face his true love, "I spent centuries hunting for vengeance, but then you filled my world full of light, love and hope. I am deeply sorry for dragging you down into darkness and villainy; I have only ever wanted to see you smile. I will love you for eternity; death could never make my love for you weaken. I am yours forever, if you'll have me."

"Killian Jones." Emma began with a warm smile, "I knew I was in trouble from the moment you revealed your true identity. My instincts told me to trust you and you've never let me down. I made you into a Dark One because I couldn't be without you and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I love you."

Hook smiled and leaned down, gently capturing her lips. They shared a quiet, loving moment before they both moved apart.

"Rumplestiltskin, I need your blood. The blood of a man who's been to hell and back." Hook said, almost apologetically as he approached the ex-Dark One.

"Very well." Gold replied, holding out his palm and only wincing a little when Hook sliced it with his hook.

"Thank you." Hook said with a nod before he made his way to the edge of the lake and dipped his bloodied hook in the water.

"It's time." Emma said as the smoke began to appear out of nowhere, the water rippling and becoming an inky black colour.

"Emma, I love you." Mary Margaret said, rushing to her daughter and holding her close. David stepped forward too and embraced his wife and daughter, closing his eyes as he tried to burn the feeling into his memories forever.

"I love you too, Mom and Dad." Emma replied, holding onto them both, "We'll find each other one day, we always do."

"I love you, Mom." Henry cried, rushing forward and embracing his birth mother for the last time before she began her new adventure.

"Look after her." Mary Margaret told Hook with a sharp look.

"Always." Hook replied with a serious nod.

"Ready?" Emma asked Killian, holding her hand out for him to take.

"I'd follow you anywhere." Hook replied, taking her hand before he took the first step into the inky black water of the lake. It wasn't deep, but it was cold and he could feel dark magic pulsing through it.

Emma stepped in after him, keeping hold of his hand as they walked until they were up to their knees in the water.

"Your sword, my lady." he murmured, unsheathing Excalibur and pressing it into her hand.

"I love you." Emma whispered, wrapping her arms around him.

"I love you too." Hook murmured against her lips, stealing one last kiss as they stood in each others arms.

Emma took a deep breath and used a powerful blast of her magic to force the sword through them both.

"Swan..." Hook gasped, reaching up to touch her face as he looked down at the bloodied sword that had impaled them both.

"Together." Emma gasped out, reaching up and linking their hands.

Hook nodded and held her close as they let themselves collapse into the black water.

The darkness ripped itself from their dying bodies but couldn't escape the grasp of the sticky black water. It fought, making waves in the water before it was dragged away to hell.

Emma watched as Excalibur dissolved, separating her from Hook. She kept hold of his hand and kept her eyes locked on his, wanting to be with him until the end. He was the first to close his eyes, the cut from Camelot appearing on his neck and dragging him away into death. Emma closed her own eyes, letting herself be pulled away into the underworld.

"Emma!" Mary Margaret cried out as she watched the two Dark Ones fall into the water together. The lake became choppy like a rough sea as the darkness was removed from its hosts, but it remained trapped in the inky blackness. The smoke began to clear and the water went back to a normal colour, leaving just Killian and Emma's bodies curled together beneath the water.


End file.
